D.A. Davidson & CO. Decreases Stake in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 80,852 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 2,256 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MDU. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 1,098.5% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 2,155,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,833,000 after acquiring an additional 1,975,200 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 109.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 988,008 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $17,804,000 after acquiring an additional 515,878 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of MDU Resources Group by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,114,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $37,926,000 after acquiring an additional 331,481 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 4th quarter worth $5,691,000. Finally, Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth $6,351,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at MDU Resources Group

In related news, Director Dennis W. Johnson acquired 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.64 per share, with a total value of $499,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 180,166 shares in the company, valued at $2,997,962.24. This represents a 19.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on MDU shares. StockNews.com lowered MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Siebert Williams Shank raised MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MDU opened at $16.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $17.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $21.86. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.91 and a 12-month high of $30.52.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.03. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 10.20% and a net margin of 7.31%. Sell-side analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.68%.

MDU Resources Group Profile

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.